Next year, Bosnia and Herzegovina could get the first natural asset registered in the UNESCO Register of Natural Heritage. Today in Bihać, as part of the ecology fair EKOBIS, a presentation of the procedure and realization of activities for registering Milančevo buk and other waterfalls in Martin-Brod in the UNESCO Register was held.
The natural phenomenon Milančev buk and the complex of travertine barriers and waterfalls in the local community of Martin Brod in Bihać is a natural area that the Una National Park wants to be entered in the UNESCO Register of Natural Heritage as the first natural asset in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“It is a unique natural phenomenon that manifests itself in a series of cascades and waterfalls with a length of 800 to 1,000 meters. It’s not a big space either, but it’s a real gem, very unique – and especially since it’s a place that’s been damaged and is in danger, if we don’t take measures like this, it will disappear in the near future,” warns Samir Đug, full professor at the Faculty of Science and Mathematics, UNSA.
Since 2017, we have been working on fulfilling the tasks required by the UNESCO procedure.
“And sometime in February, when the General Assembly of the UNESCO office will be held regarding the entry into the Register of World Natural Heritage, we will know the answer whether our procedure is accepted and whether we become an official candidate for entry,” points out Amarildo Mulić, director of the National Park Una.
In order for an area to be included in the world heritage list, it takes a lot of effort and work, Professor Đug points out: “We needed data that we couldn’t get then, so we had to create it ourselves through field research – and that’s what we took a lot of time. Those who do the revision of the world UNESCO list are very demanding and detailed – we are in regular correspondence with them and as soon as we finish a part of the work, we send it to them for revision and they return to us with suggestions”.
Next summer, when they hope for a positive result from the Una National Park, Bosnia and Herzegovina could get the first natural asset entered in the UNESCO Register of Natural Heritage.
